Ruling party candidates for districts 19 to 36 gathered at Spice Valley Middle School last night for an open air rally with supporters.

The event attended by the Premier Jennifer Smith and key party workers attracted an enthusiastic audience of about 200.

"We in this country have got to ask ourselves some serious questions as we move forward. We're going to have to distinguish very clearly between the rhetoric that we hear from the United Bermuda Party and what is real in this country," said Community Affairs Minister Randolph Horton, the first of the candidates to address the crowd.

"The United Bermuda Party is talking about how diverse they are... But let me just say this to everyone. Anybody who is watching what the UBP is doing with their ads - they've got plenty of money, no question where it came from, you all know. And you all want to make sure that those people who are putting all of that money into the campaign that the UBP has will not have control of this country again. Because it's no new UBP. It's old money that's funding the programme that you see being run by the United Bermuda Party."

Mr. Horton, the candidate for district 32, urged supporters to judge Government's record against its platform promises.

Dale Butler, candidate for constituency 26, continued the theme of reminding the crowd of the doomsayers.

"It's Test Match time in politics so we have to stick to the wicket, no one-day cricket. So we have to stick the wicket and the PLP seats have to come. No going back," he said.

"We were told we were in incapable, incompetent and unable.

"We proved that to be a lie.''